


Always here with me

by CabiriaMinerva



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Concerned Red, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Acknowledgement of Feelings, Hugs, Lizzington - Freeform, Ruined wedding, one can hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 14:33:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6332872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CabiriaMinerva/pseuds/CabiriaMinerva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Elizabeth's life has fallen apart once again, Red worries about her and tries to comfort her. But things go slightly better than expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always here with me

**Author's Note:**

> First ff in this fandom, written in a gray and boring afternoon at work..  
> I'm not English native speaker, so I apologise for any mistake (and please, feel free to point them out!) :)

_So many miles between us now_  
_But you are always here with me_  
_Nobody knows why_  
_Nobody knows how and_  
_This feeling begins just like a spark_  
_Tossing and turning inside of your heart_  
_Exploding in the dark_

Susie Suh, _Here with me_

He’d been silently watching her for almost twenty minutes: she had stared at a point on the wall, her lips sealed, her body still. Even now, he didn’t want to interrupt her thoughts, nor did he want to startle her. But he was starting to worry.

«Lizzy?»

Her eyes flickered, but she didn’t move.

«Lizzy…» Red took some steps towards her.

«Don’t.» Was all that came out of her mouth, her eyes still on the white wall.

«I am… deeply sorry about what happened today.» He paused and his mouth imperceptibly twitched. «And, if I could, I would take whatever pain or anger you are feeling and put its weight on my shoulders.» His fingers hovered on her figure, as if they wanted to feel her skin, but didn’t dare anything that could upset her. «But I am just a man, Lizzy.» He whispered, apologetically.

Slowly, she turned to face him. Her face… blank. He’d expected tears, anger, pain… something.

«I can’t take it away. But I can listen to you, if you’ll let me.»

«There’s nothing to say.» She shrugged, and he cocked his head, looking at her in disbelief. Maybe she needed some encouragement.

«You’re expecting me to believe that after all you went through today you are… fine?»

Elizabeth looked at his hands, not hovering on her any more, retreated to the security of his own body. She chewed her bottom lip.

«With all that confusion, and the shooting, and your wedding ruined… and Tom… Sure you must be in a lot of pain. And angry.»

 _Calm as ever, in a crisis_. She tried to choke a grunt, and he thought that maybe they were getting somewhere. And how could he have imagined that her grunt was vaguely mixed to a laugh, exactly because of his calmness? She’d never really told him that she found quite fascinating _and_ funny his cosmic composure whenever he was in the middle of a shooting, of an international conspiracy or of any violent scenario.

«I’m not saying that everything bad would disappear just because you told me how you are feeling, » he continued, unaware, «this will surely take a lot of time. But maybe you’d relax a bit? I don’t think being tense is good for the baby.» Practical as always.

«I’m fine.» she finally said, taking pity on him.

«Are you?» Red frowned. If he had learned one thing, was that Elizabeth was always keen to throw at him her anger and pain and anger again.

«Well… not I-live-in-a-fairy-tale kind of fine. But fine. The baby will be ok. And I…» She shrugged again. «I guess you’d told me so.» A sad smile curled her lips.

Yes, he’d told her so. But, oh, he’d hoped so hard to be wrong. Just for once. Then the Major had interrupted Elizabeth and Tom’s second wedding, words were said, other truths were revealed. And guns were shot.

And, in the aftermath, her wedding dress stained with blood, she had furiously assailed Tom, shouting to leave and never come back, raining fists on him. Tom, who had lied to her over and over again. Tom, who was the father of her unborn child. Tom, whom she’d forgiven once but could not forgive twice.

Tom, who’d let her hit him and had tried to explain, to make her understand that... She hadn’t even listened.

It took both Cooper and Dembe to drag her away. Red had just watched the scene, memorizing the moment when, _finally_ , his strong, stubborn, wonderful Lizzy had given up on Tom and whatever romantic fantasy she’d tried to keep up in the last months.

Then, he’d whispered something in Tom’s ears. Elizabeth didn’t know what, exactly, but he did leave after that. Well, maybe Red had finally found a threat that actually worked with Tom.

«I guess I did.» He offered a smile, the concern slowly leaving his face.

«And I think I let off all of my anger on… him, because I don’t feel the need to yell at you. There’s a first time for everything.» She sighed. «I’m… only a bit worried. About the baby. About _me_ with the baby.» Her light eyes searched for his. «What will I do now? I’m starting all over, once again, but this time…» Elizabeth caressed her bump.

«You don’t have to do this alone. You never had to. Never.» She could tell, now, that her explanation had convinced him. «As I already told you once, I’ll always be there when you need me.»

She smiled.

«Your child will want for nothing. And since you had your… concerns… about the fund I’ve offered, I’ve made some adjustments. The money’s clean, I assure you.» he quickly specified. «I’ll do anything to make sure your child life will be untouched by whatever is dirty and wrong and… _criminal_.» Red had said the last world lightly, hoping she wouldn’t notice the implications of it.

«So… Whatever is criminal, too?» And yes, of course she had noticed.

«That was the idea…» he could feel her gaze pierce his skull. God, that woman would be the death of him.

«Mmmh…»

«If that’s still what you want, clearly.» Was that hope in his voice? They both knew he didn’t need to be physically there to help her and her child. And they both knew he’d do anything – quite literally – to be by her side, but that he’d disappear if that’s really what she wanted.

«It’s going to be a bit difficult, don’t you think?» She said, nonchalant. «I mean… unless you are suggesting you’d like to retreat…? Which I’m not even sure is actually doable.»

«Oh, Lizzy, I’m afraid I’m not _that old_.» Red grinned, relieved. She wanted him in her life. She wanted him by her side. Which also begged the question… when exactly did she got so close? Her dress – he’d be later burning it, and all memories of Tom and that unpleasant day with it – was brushing on his trousers.

He felt the urge to hug her, to hold her in his arms. His fingers twitched and Elizabeth, noticing them, warmly smiled. He was still stunned by the sudden change occurred within her in a couple of hours, but not even that could make him less receptive of her. The warmth of her smile translated into a feeble warmth in his chest.

But he’d address that another time.

«I’m a bit tired…» She offered, still smiling, still so close.

Red didn’t move. «I can call Dembe, if you want. He can take you home. Or wherever you want.»

Elizabeth sighed, finding the whole situation odd and vaguely funny. Without thinking, she covered the few inches between them and rested her head on his chest, her eyes closed and her mind suddenly numb.

 _What am I doing? Why…_ She could feel her skin flushing, but was really too ready to further investigate whatever was going on in her brain. She’d think about the possible consequences of her actions another moment, maybe.

She felt Red’s strong arms tentatively encircling her. Then, when she gave no sign of rejection, they wrapped her tighter, almost in a possessive way.

«Well… maybe in a few minutes.»

She smiled, content.


End file.
